In Canada people are breathing. I notice this the moment I step off the plane, home from San Francisco for a weekend visit. There is spaciousness here, where people draw breath full down to the belly and then, in a natural and relaxed manner, release the diaphragm and gently exhale. In America it is different. …

I am so all about the post-breakfast power nap. Here’s the routine: 5am wakeup bell, zazen, kinhin, zazen, service, cleanup, breakfast, NAP! The nap can be up to twenty minutes, or as few as seven or ten if I’m in a rush. But that’s allâ€”no longer, or else I feel groggy and am back to …

Why would a person spend hours and hours staring at a white wall? I ask myself this question a lot. On a spring Saturday sixty of us rise at 5am and hustle to the basement for the monthly one-day sit. We hunker down for another big day in the zendoâ€”sitting, slow-walking, sweeping, eating brown rice …

I want to say that the reason why I haven’t posted anything in the six weeks since I landed at San Francisco Zen Center is because I haven’t had time to write, but that would be untrue. The fact is there areÂ 24 hours in every single day, with 60 minutes crammed into each hour …

“If you’re passing through the Bay Area,” I wrote to my Bicycle Buddha mailing list, “come visit me at the San Francisco Zen Center. Come sit zazen with me, then take me out for a fancy coffeeâ€”cuz I can’t afford lattes on monk’s wages.” “Hi,” a friend shot back. “With an inheritance that allows you …